The 2014 Junior Citizen Award Recipients Announced

Web posted on May 27, 2014

Two local young people were honoured by the Guelph Police for their efforts. The Junior Citizen Award is a Guelph Police initiative and a member of the police service nominates the recipients. The award is given to a youth citizen of Guelph who has been involved in a police related incident.

The Junior Citizen Award is awarded annually to provide recognition to young citizens of Guelph who contribute to the community by assisting the Guelph Police Service in keeping our city a safe place to live, work and play. This is the eighth annual presentation of the award.

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Austin Loyens

Background Information

In 2012, a woman was the victim of an assault. Austin Loyens was present at the time and witnessed the assault. The woman was able to get away from the offender and Austin called 911. Austin was only ten years old at the time. Police attended and investigated the incident. The woman received some injuries as a result of the assault and was treated at the hospital and released.

Although Austin had witnessed an upsetting incident, and he was scared himself, he did the right thing and called for help. Despite being frightened, he was able to tell the police the location of the assault and help arrived. Austin was able to tell the police about what happened and provide some information to assist in the investigation.

The responsible person was charged with assault, assault cause bodily harm, assault with a weapon and uttering threats. At the conclusion of the court process the responsible person was convicted and will spend time in custody, which will be followed by a probationary period.

For his actions, Austin Loyens was commended and awarded the Junior Citizen Award by the Guelph Police Service in a ceremony on May 21, 2014.

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Adrianna Vanos

Background Information

In the fall of 2012, a local 13-year-old student, Adrianna Vanos, was walking home from school when she witnessed an eight-year-old female step off the curb of a busy street and get struck by a vehicle.

The victim fell back onto the boulevard of the roadway. The driver of the vehicle initially stopped, but did not exit his vehicle and then he fled the scene. The victim was transported to the hospital where she was treated for her injuries and later released the same day.

Police attended to investigate the incident and the initial investigation revealed limited information on the responsible vehicle and driver. A media release went out to the public seeking any witnesses to this event. Adrianna Vanos and her mother contacted the investigating officer and explained that Adrianna had witnessed the hit and run.

At the time of the incident, Adrianna was only 13-years-old. She was able to provide a very accurate description of the driver and identified the driver out of a photo line-up months after the incident. Due to her observations and cooperation with the investigation the police were able to charge the responsible driver.

The driver was charged with fail to remain and fail to stop at the scene of accident. He was found guilty and held accountable for his actions.

For her actions, Adrianna Vanos was commended and awarded the Junior Citizen Award by the Guelph Police Service in a ceremony on May 21, 2014.